Heroin

Heroin use is on the rise, especially in demographics where use was previously low, including women, the privately insured, and those with higher incomes. Heroin is addictive and deadly. The experienced team at 2nd Chance Treatment Center throughout the greater Phoenix, Arizona area, specializes in the medical management of drug abuse and addiction, including heroin. For expert care from a compassionate team, call the office today or request an appointment online.

What is heroin?

Heroin is an illegal drug made from morphine, which is found in poppy seeds. It is an opioid that affects the opioid receptors in your brain, causing sensations of euphoria and pain relief. People who use heroin feel an intense “rush” that they find pleasurable. Heroin also causes a decrease in your heart rate and breathing, as well as a decline in mental function.

Heroin is highly addictive. Over time, your body develops a tolerance to the opioid and you need to take more and more to feel the same effects, which puts you at risk of overdose.

Many prescription pain medications, including Percocet® and Vicodin®, have the same effects as heroin. Misuse of these prescription pain medications is the strongest risk factor for heroin use.

What are the long-term effects of heroin use?

Long-term use of heroin affects many aspects of your life, including your physical and mental health, relationship with family and friends, and your ability to manage your responsibilities. It may also lead to:

• Insomnia
• Constipation
• Kidney or liver disease
• Heart infections
• Depression
• Antisocial personality disorder
• Sexual dysfunction

Your heroin use can also lead to an overdose, which occurs when you take so much of the drug that it causes a life-threatening reaction often resulting in death.

What treatments help me recover from heroin addiction?

The experienced team at 2nd Chance Treatment Center specializes in addiction and recovery, and provides the treatment you need to help get over your addiction to heroin. The specialists understand better than anyone how rough the road to recovery for someone with a heroin addiction is, and provide you with all the expert help you need to succeed. They treat your heroin addiction the way it should be treated, like a disease that requires ongoing medical care.

Your treatment plan may include a combination of medication and behavioral therapy. The team at 2nd Chance Treatment Center finds that this combination offers you the best chance at a full recovery that allows you to lead a happy, healthy life free of your addiction.

Heroin is a highly addictive illegal drug. To get the expert help you need with your addiction, call 2nd Chance Treatment Center today or request an appointment online.